ones Gen. 50. 21. and it is lâ—â—ewise said David dwelt with Achish at Gath he and his men every man with his hâ—ushold 1 Sam. 27. 3. which is expounded to be their Sons and daughters 1 Sam. 30. 6. If there were no more evidence than these two Witnesses it might suffice reasonable men but all men have not faith and therefore do they muddy the water of Gods truth with their feet Ezek. 34. 18 19. but there is a pure River of water of life clear as Chrystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb Rev. 22. 1. to confirm the spirits of the faithful from these mens abuse of Scripture We read in Deut. 25. If two brethren dwell together and one of them dye and have no child the Wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger her Husbands Brother shall go in unto her and take her to him to Wife and perform the duty of an Husbands brother unto her and it shall be that the first born which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead that his name be not put out of Israel ver 5 6. and in the seventh verse If the man like not to take his Brothers wife see in ver 9. then shall his Brothers wife come unto him in the presence of the Elders and loose his shoe from off his foot and spit in his face and shall answer and say So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his Brothers house how plainly doth it appear in this place that a mans children are his house Again the Elders prayed the Lord to make Ruth like Leah and Rachel which built the house of Israel Ruth 4. 11. which were their children and again the Widdow of Zareptha's son was called her house read 1 Kings 17. 12 13 14 15. verses Again a Bishop or Pastor must be one that ruleth well his own house having his children in subiection 1 Tim. 3. 4 5. and again Jacob went down into Egypt every man and his houshould which were their children Exod. 1. and where persons had no children see what God saith promising to give children he maketh the barren woman to keep house or dwell in a house and to be a joyful mother of children Psal 113. 9. which is farther confirmed in that sense and it came to pass because the Midwives feared God he made them houses Exod. 1. 21. compared with 1 Sam. 2. 35. and the cause why Sarah gave her Maid Hagar to Abraham that she might be builded up by her Gen. 16. 2. or obtain children thus I hope no Conscience can doubt or scruple or think the contrary but that the children is the mans house or houshould and the Apostle Baptising Believers and their houshould or house did with his own hands Baptise Believers and their children thus your stumbling block is taken out of the way if God be pleased to open your eyes to see it R. A's Objection Because you cannot see the children of the faithful bring forth the fruits of faith you presume to say they have not faith T. W. his Answer Might not one by your ground say that a child of 8 dayes old cannot have all the faculties of nature in him as a man though the Holy Ghost saith a child is born a man John 16. 21. in the bud or beginning as hearing seeing smelling speaking and the like yet because the child cannot hear understandingly and see perceivingly and smell distinguishingly and speak plainly as a man of years shall one conclude he hath not the faculties in him in the bud but little children Christ saith are of the Kingdom of God which is the houshould of Faith Gal. 6. 10. and can any be of the houshould of Faith and want Faith therefore as the world knoweth not Christ nor the subjects of his Kingdom 1 John 3. 1. they must needs be but as the world to say those have not faith which are of Christs Kingdom and with Nicodemus say how can thâ—se things be John 3. Again we read Isaac was Circumcised at eight dayes old the Apostle calleth Circumcision a seal of the righteousness of Faith Rom. 4. 11. and the children of Believers are as capable of Faith at eight dayes old now in Gospel times as before the Law the Prophet speaking of Gospel times saith their children shall be as afore-time Jer. 30. 20. so that as Circumcision was a sign of Faith and holiness Rom. 4. 11. and 2. 29. Col. 2. 11. Deut. 10. 16. even so is Baptism now Acts 8. 37 38. Rom 6. 3 4. The Covenant of the Gospel with Abraham is the same now in substance Gal. 3. 8. Gen. 17. 4 5. Rom. 4. 13 16 17. the Covenanâ— with Abraham was that the Lord would be a God to him and his seed after him Gen. 17. 7. as Blessed is that Nation whose God is the Lord Psal 33. 12. this blessedness commeth on none by the Law Rom. 4. 15. Gal. 3. 10 11 12. and that the Lord will be a God to us and we his people is the Gospel in the substance Heb. 8. 10. Rev. 21. 3. 2 Cor. 6. 16. and Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision to confirm the Promise made to the Fathers which they believed Christ was to come we believe he is come Luke 1. 69 72 73. Acts 13. 32 33. being one faith of Gods elect Gal. 3. 9. Heb. 11. and we believing Gentiles fellow Heirs and of the same body with the Believing Jews therefore I may justly conclude That which was once commanded of God and never repealed ought still to be done But God commanded the sign or seal of faith and holiness to the faithful and their seed and never yet repealed therefore ought still to be done But if any object that Circumcision was a seal of the Land of Canaan the Apostle ought to be believ'd before them who saith It was a Seal of faith and for farther manifesting of their folly that say It was a seal of Canaan for Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were Circumcised and they never passed it according to the promise nor their Generations till they came out of Egypt but dwelt as strangers in it Heb. 11. 9. Again as uncleanness is opposite to holiness when the fruit of the Land of Canaan was forbidden the children of Israel three years it should be as uncircumcised unto them and not to be eaten and in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy Lev. 19. 23 24. thus we see that Circumcision is a sign of holiness Again we read that God promiseth to Circumcise the hearts of his people to love him Deut. 30. 6. which is no less than a clean heart Psal 51. 10. which is no less than putting off the body of sins by the Circumcision of Christ Col. 2. 11. and when men do not hear and obey the Lord they are said to have uncircumcised ears Jer. 6. 10. Thus we may see plainly that Circumcision
was a sign of holiness and not of Canaan and if it had been a sign of the Promise of the Land what need had they to Circumcise any more when they possessed the land thus let all men beware of these blind guides that heed not what they say to maintain their errors R. A. Again you say If by the everlasting Covenant be meant all the children of Believers are in the covenant of grace and so to be baptized you say it is false for whosoever is truly in the Covenant of Grace can never fall finally away from it Esay 54. 10. Jer. 31. 3. and 9. But say you the Children of Believers may and do prove wicked and be reprobates witnesse Ishmael Esau c. therefore it appears all the children of Believers are not in the Covenant of Grace and so none to be baptized till some declarative sign to know which are in the Covenant of Grace which will not be made manifest till they are grown up and able to make profession of Faith and then we have that we contend for Ans It is well known that we believe Election and I am glad you do not deny Election but secret things belong to God and revealed things to us and to our children Deut. 29. 29. but when the Lord made his Covenant with Abraham and his Seed he was commanded to administer the Seal of Faith to his children in infancy whether they would stand or fall he had no Rule to question nor you if you were guided by that Spirit that guided him and if he and the children of Israel should have been of your belief when Ishmael became a mocker and Esau a prophane person having both the outward Seal of Faith they would have circumcised no more lest they had not Faith because some do fall away had they done well think you but having no such Rule from God they would not follow their own spirits as you do like the false Prophets in Israel that had seen nothing Ezek. 13. 3. But the faithfull had learned to obey which is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of Rambs 1 Sam. 15. 22. and that which is highly esteemed among men is abominable in the sight of God Luk. 16. 15. And how highly esteem'd is this error among the people of your Judgment to deny the outward Seal of the Covenant of God to the Seed of the Faithfull without warrant from his Word Moreover If we should not baptize our Children because some may fall away and become as Ishmael and Esau by like grounds you should not baptize elder people because after they fall away as Symon Magus Demas the like so to follow your fantasy rather than Faith and neglect Gods Ordinance because we cannot enter into Gods Seat to know the heart Let all beware of this as Solomon saith There is a way that seemeth right unto man but the end thereof are the wayes of death Pro. 16. 25. Again If one by carnall reason should follow your steps to say that the Children of Believers have not Faith because the fruits of Faith doth not yet appear they might reason against you and say that there is none of your Judgment do yet believe because it is said These signs shall follow them that believe they shall cast out devils and speak with new Tongues They shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly poyson it shall not hurt them they shall lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover Mark 16. 17 18. Now consider because that these signs do not now attend believers since extraordinary Officers ceased do none believe therefore So though the Apostle saith That Circumcision was the Seal of Faith and it was no lying sign shall any say that Children have or had not Faith because we cannot see the signs of Faith Remember what the Wiseman saith Be not over just Now to conclude this point consider what God saith of the Children of his People Even the house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel which are born by me from the belly which are carried from the womb Even to old age c. Isa 46. 3 4. And again The Lord hath called me from the womb from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name Esa 49. 1. And in verse 5. And now saith the Lord that formed me from the womb to be his servant And again I formed thee in the belly I knew thee and before thou camest forth of the womb I sanctified thee Jer. 1. 5. And again The babe leaped in the womb for joy Luke 1. 44. Thus the children of Gods people are born unto the Lord as it written Thou hast taken my sons and my daughters whom thou hast born unto me And again Thou hast stain my children Ezek. 16. 20 21. Which children are a holy seed Ezra 9. 2. Isa 6. 13. Jer. 2. 3. 1 Cor. 7. 14. Mal. 2. 15. Which cannot be without Gods Spirit which sanctifieth all that have it 1 Thes 4. 7 8. 2 Cor. 1. 21 22. Which Spirit is the Spirit of Faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. Therefore having the Spirit of Faith they are Christs Rom. 8. 9. Or else none of his now how clear a matter is this that Infants are the Lords and Christ and so have his spirit We shall conclude with the holy Spirit that the children of the faithfull have right to Baptism as it is written can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized which have received the holy Ghost as well as we Acts 10. 47. Now let none reason with Nicodemus How can these things be John 3. 9. But in sobriey say with Solomon As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all Eccle. 11. 5. Object If any further object and say that Abraham was commanded to command his children and his houshold supposing that a mans servants are his houshold Answ Abraham was a Prophet and at that time the Church of God was under his government so that as he was a Prophet and Over-seeâ— the Lord knew he would feed the Church of God as he was a Father he would teach his Children the nurture and admonition of the Lord Eph. 6. So that he and all true Pastors that was fit according to the rule must both rule his own children having them in subjection with all gravity for if a man know not how to rule his own house how shall he take carâ— of the Church of God 1 Tim. 3. 4. 5. And that a mans servants are not called his house or houshold but are distinguished by the holy Ghost called houshold-servants Acts 10. 7. As a mans goods are called houshold-stuffe Nehemiah 15. 8. Thus I suppose the Objection is fully answered And now my friend I shall endeavour according to that small understanding I have to
to Romes I shall lay down their manner as their own Writers say It is a dipping three times in water In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost in Bellarm. de sac Bap. 1. 1. c. 25. Bellarm. de Image 1. 2. c. 29. Again consider my friend suppose a man while he is an unbeliever in the Wars have a leg or arm shot off and yet by Chyrurgery he is cured that he is as heart-whole as ever and may probably live as long as if that had not befallen him and in process of time comes to be a Believer shall not this man be Baptised if he was not Baptised before because you cannot Baptise all the whole man having not all his Members As many members make one body 1 Cor. 12. and this man with his heart believeth and with his mouth confession is made to Salvation Rom. 10. Shall not this man be Baptised think you and here a part must be taken for the whole or else it is not lawful to Baptise some Believers contrary to the Scriptures And again If the Baptism be utterly denyed not to be retained which we have received in Apostate Churches you thereby affirm all the people that are in our known parts of the world to be unbaptised and you cannot prove a succession in your way and so no lawful ministry to Baptise a People for no unbaptised person may be a Minister to Baptise but such was Mr. Smith in his own judgment Neither have any unbaptised people power to elect or ordain a Minister among them of this can no rule president or example be shewed in the Scripture but all to the contrary especially since all extraordinary Officers have ceased So must all the building of Christs Church and work of the Ministry cease until some second John Baptist or new Apostles be sent down from Heaven c. And they that make a new Ministry as Jeroboam did will be found to be the worship of the Devil and Ministers of Sathan 2 Chron. 11. 15. 2 Cor. 11. false Apostles deceitful workmen must also make a new Gospel and confirm it with new Miracles as I have heard some say when they could not prove a succession of Dipping by a trùe Ministry from the Apostles dayes they have thought an unbaptised person might begin the work to Baptise by Dipping but for warrant hereof no one word of God could be brought as Israel who made them Idols after their own understanding Hos 13. 1-3 When the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Jer. 10. 23. but that we may beware of the Rocks of Popery and quick-sands of Anabaptistry by the light of God's Word let us consider what is the safest way to take in this distress when men are at their wits end whither should we go but to the Lord for counsel Isa 42. 16 God's gracious Spirit blowing upon the sails of our faith we shall safely sail through all these difficulties into a strait way to the sincere practise of the Gospel for he that hath ascended up on high hath not left his Church destitute of counsel in all times and estates whatsoever and though the Lord for the judgment of the world and trial of his servants and manifestation of his power bring his servants into Babylon yet knoweth he how to deliver his servants without justifying of Antichristian or Babylonian Assemblies to bring his people forth to Sion and to rear up the decayed Tabernacles of David which were fallen down Amos 9. 11. without using one stone of Babel in the work for a corner or for a foundation And we being fallen into deep Apostasie in these parts of the world let us see whether we can find any president of such times and see whether we can fetch any better directions for the retaining of the Ordinance of Baptism than your way of Anabaptistry or twice baptizing for it is good for all to observe that the persons which John Baptist and the Apostles did baptize were not baptized before as we were in the state of Apostasie We read That whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our instruction Rom. 15. 4. And we find written in the time of Hezekiah that the Kingdom of Israel had a long time remained in Schism and Apostasie having forsaken the true Temple and made to themselves new Temples new Altars as the History of the Chronicles do declare 2 Chron 30. neither could by any warning be reclaimed only such as did return and left their false worship and came to the true Temple to worship God were received and admitted to the Passeover without either gathering correcting or repeating the Circumcision they had received in the times of their Apostacy The like we read in the times of Josiah in 2 Chron. 30. and in Ezra and Nehemiah when they had yet longer continued in their Schism and Idolatry and yet upon their return out of captivity unto the Lord the Circumcision then received was not repeated again Ezra 6. 21 22. yet no doubt to those men in those times while they continued in that idolatrous estate the Circumcision then received was no true seal of Gods Covenant to them being added to their false Worship Idolatry and Apostacy And I think this will be granted of all hands that God's Covenant is no longer continued with any Church or people than they remain in his faith and obedience Rom. 2. 25. But some may say I justifie the outward action of Circumcision as it is done in the false Church nothing less but condemn it altogether as a hainous profanation of God's holy Ordinance yet when it is purged by sincere repentance of the abuse thereof it pleased God in pardoning the faults and to reserve and not repeat the outward action which because it was vvrongly done it cannot be said not to be done at all for vve must put a difference betvveen a thing not rightly done and a thing not done at all for the errors and defaults of the Baptism being purged by Repentance and done away by the mercy of God the Lord now beholdeth the rest of the action and the thing which in pretence they seemed to do as his Ordinance so that we find this way the way of God concerning Circumcision received in the false Church when as those persons that were Circumcised in that state and after came to the true way of God they were not Circumcised again the like may be said of Baptism seeing Circumcision was the seal of faith and Baptism now as is before proved So by like equality as the one Seal received in Apostacy and not repeted so Baptism received in Apostacy is not to be repeted and so we have a foundation in Gods word to build our faith upon and not to follow your own spirits Object But if any say that Circumcision could not be repeted again and Baptism may because the foreskin being once cut could not after be cut again Answ The Apostle resolveth this doubt saying If any man called being Circumcised let him not become uncircumcised 1 Cor. 7. 18. which words do import that there might be a gathering of the flesh again by the Art of Chyrurgery as divers Histories do declare Joseph Antiq. Lib. 12. chap. 6. And again what should be more against reason to think why the outward Baptism delivered in a false Church should be denyed to be retained seeing Circumcision that was received in a false Church was not denyed when as the Scriptures shew that the state of the Romish and false Church in their Apostacy is like the state of Israel in their Apostacy as these and like Scriptures do shew Rev. 17. 1. 5 with Jer. 3. 8. Hos 2. 2 3. 1 Thes 2. 3. Therefore Baptism received in such estate is to be esteemed Now as Circumcision was in Israel in their defection but that Circumcision was so esteemed and such a state and walking was only repented of Thus if persons will follow the president of Scripture they shall find comfort at last but for persons to deny this Baptism and own that true Baptism for a man to Baptise himself as Smith did is proved by several testimonies this will be their reward as saith the Prophet Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass your selves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled this shall ye have of mine hand ye shall-lye down in sorrow Isa 50. 11. Thus according to my weak ability in unfained love to your soul I have returned you some Answer to your answer to John Turners Argument for Infants Baptism though he himself if he had pleased while he lived could have given you a more fuller Answer But forasmuch as your desire was I should peruse the writing between you I was willing for the vindication of the Truth of God in this point though the unfittest of many but as many of their great abilities brought rich things for the work of the Tabernacle yet those of small abilities who brought but Goats hair being accepted of God was not despised so though my abilities be but small to farther the work of the Lord I hope it will not altogether be despised of any that are imployed in the work of the Lords Tabernacle the true Church of God the stay and pillar of truth thus desiring the Lord to bless these my labours for the comfort of his Elect and the Lord alone to have the glory honour and praise now and for evermore Amen Reader I having no thoughts when I first wrote this Treatise that it should come to publick view but seeing providence hath so disposed thereof I think good to acquaint thee if these people which deny Infants Baptism have likewise deceived thee as perswading in word or writing that it is not lawful to eat blood and things strangled which is the Doctrine of Devils 1 Tim. 4. For thy help against that error you may have a small Treatise where this book is to be had proving it lawful by the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles to eat blood and strangled things in these dayes of the Gospel Published by the Author of this Book FINIS